Alessia Cara does Canada proud at the Grammys

Brampton, Ontario singer wins the country's first ever Best New Artist trophy The biggest awards show in music feature a Canadian first! (Ba-mi | Dreamstime.com)

Hey folks, the Grammys (music's biggest night) happened last night! And, tucked among the cavalcade of massive stars (Jay-Z! Rihanna! Lady Gaga! Bruno Mars! Lots more!), a new milestone in Canadian music history was reached.

For the first time ever, a citizen from the True North Strong and Free won the award for Best New Artist. Woot, woot for Alessia Cara, everybody!

Finally!

Alessia (whose debut single, "Here", came out in 2015) has already won several major music industry awards, including from the Junos, BET, American Music Awards, and MTV. But this trophy is the biggest award yet in her young career. By winning the award, she succeeded where some truly mighty names have not. Justin Bieber, Drake, Feist, and Alanis Morrissette have been nominated in the past, but never took home the coveted hardware.

Sending hopeful messages

Khalid, Logic, and Alessia Cara perform at the Grammys on Sunday. (Getty Embed)

Alessia backed up her win by singing during one of the more powerful moments in the ceremony. She, rapper Logic, and Khalid performed the song "1-800-273-8255", which is about suicide prevention. Logic ended the song with a short, emotional monologue asking for global unity and compassion for immigrants, saying, "Together we can build, not just a better country, but a world that is destined to be united."

It was one of several times where artists used the Grammys to address social issues and ask for change. A speech by Janelle Monae and a performance by singer Kesha came together to address women's rights. Rapper Kendrick Lamar opened the awards with an intense medley addressing racism in the United States.

Bruno Mars rules the night

If you toss bits of stale bread at Lady Gaga's piano, would it be your friend? (Getty Embed)

The night certainly wasn't all about big issues. Rihanna led a thrilling, dance-heavy rendition of her song "Wild Thoughts." Lady Gaga sang while playing a piano that looked like a giant swan, because why not? And the evening's awards were totally dominated by one of the most dynamic musicians in the world right now, Bruno Mars.

Bruno Mars won every award (not true, but he did very well). (Getty Embed)

Mars won six trophies, including Song, Record, and Album of the Year for 24K Magic. The singing and dancing sensation is one of the most magnetic, feel-good artists around, so we think these wins are well deserved. But even he had a larger mission in mind when he made the album. In his acceptance speech, he talked about wanting to make an album that joined people so that they could "celebrate together."